Published

6 months ago

July 15, 2025

Alice Rush

Register for the SkySpecs webinar! The crew discusses the resignation of Wind Europe CEO Giles Dickson and his impact on the organization. They examine a new executive order from the White House targeting ‘unreliable’ wind and solar energy sources, analyzing its potential effects on tax credits and the renewable energy market.

Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!

You are listening to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast brought to you by build turbines.com. Learn, train, and be a part of the Clean Energy Revolution. Visit build turbines.com today. Now here’s your hosts, Alan Hall, Joel Saxon, Phil Totaro, and Rosemary Barnes.

Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Winner d podcast. I’m Alan Hall in the Queen City, Charlotte, North Carolina.

I got filter the tower out in California and Joel Saxon is in wet Austin, Texas. It rained again today. The storm waters have been severe, like a hundred year flood Situations in Texas have been very dangerous and a lot of people have been injured down there. yeah, our condolences go out to everybody affected down in Texas and there’s supposed to be some more severe.

Rainstorms in the East coast of the United States. So hold on tight. there’s a lot of news going on [00:01:00] this week around the world. the one that sticks out first and I wanna bring this to the attention of everybody that, if you haven’t heard yet, is, wind Europe. CEO Giles Dixon has announced he’s stepping down after 10 years as leading WIN Europe.

And I was stunned when this happened. And obviously, I. Don’t have any influence in when Europe being an American. I just watch from the outside and I, from what I’ve seen and attended the conferences over in Europe, everything from what I’ve seen under his tutelage has been great. And the promotional materials and all the information that when Europe provides, has been outstanding.

so Giles is going to go back to teaching. He’s gonna go back into the schoolhouse. but it, seems like it’s a shock to everybody at, Wind Europe, at least that’s the outward appearance. Board chair Henrik Anderson, who is the head of Vestus Praise Dixon’s, tremendous contribution, noting [00:02:00] that he will leave Wind Europe stronger than he when he arrived.

And that’s clearly the case. Phil, do you have any insight as to what’s going on behind the scenes over in Wind Europe and with Giles?

Phil Totaro: I do not, but I can also speak from personal experience, having met him, I wanna say back in 2018 or probably 2017. and I can certainly attest to the, the work that they’ve done.

As you might be able to see, I’ve got two, things sitting here behind me that are awards from, the Wind Europe and, predecessor to, that, we’ve, done a lot of work over in Europe and it’s been facilitated by, the Wind Europe, events that they do as well as the publications that they’ve put out.

certainly my thanks go out to, to him and, [00:03:00] wish him well on his, future endeavors.

Joel Saxum: I would say from an American standpoint, been to wind Europe now, man, I don’t know how many times, half a dozen times or something like that. They do a really good job over there. And this is from, the leadership comes from the top of just circling the wagons, right?

Bringing everybody out to the show, getting more voices involved, giving, getting executive leaders from a lot of these large operators, giving them the space to talk and putting them, in an area where their voices are listened to. So like when, the last time I was at Wind Europe, I think it was in, bill Bao.

so I went, walked into Bill Bau, and when you walked into the conference center, there was big banners hanging of all of the key speakers and what their messages were with pictures of their faces, six feet tall, hanging in all the hallways. And I thought, what a great way to get visibility to the industry, right?

Because if anybody walks in here, because of course at those shows you get, impartial news [00:04:00] agencies and other things going. You see that stuff right in the, European realm. I’m like, I recognize the face of the CEO of RWE and, these things like they pop up. They’re, good at getting in the face of the, public and getting their message across.

And I would like to see us do more of those things here. under giles’s tutelage there, fantastic job. he said he’s gonna step back and go to teaching and give back to his local community where he’s from, and I think that’s fantastic. it’s a, a career shift.

He’s given a lot to the wind industry. and moving on. So now, we have those Giles in Pierre walk and talk videos that they put out every, so often, they’re gonna have to find someone else to walk and talk with.

Allen Hall: That’s gonna be hard to do. Those win flicks are really well done. They’re great promotion for the industry in, Europe.

I, there’s very little that I’ve seen that even really compares to them the amount of knowledge you’re gonna get in about four and a [00:05:00] half minutes about what is actually happening on the ground in Europe. You just don’t find it anywhere like that. The, they are really good tuned to all the inner workings of the eu, the individual countries, all the manufacturers.

They have the pulse of that industry and it’s, gonna be a lot to live up to wherever they nominate to be. The next CEO win Europe. It. It has a high bar. A very high bar. Don’t let blade damage catch you off guard. OGs. Ping sensors detect issues before they become expensive. Time consuming problems from ice buildup and lightning strikes to pitch misalignment and internal blade cracks.

OG Ping has you covered. The cutting edge sensors are easy to install, giving you the power to stop damage before it’s too late. Visit eLog ping.com and take control of your turbine’s health today. Over in the United States, the White House has issued an executive order targeting, what has been described as [00:06:00] quote unquote unreliable wind and solar energy sources, which is a matter of strong debate.

The executive order titled, ending Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable Foreign Controlled Energy Sources. Does that make an acronym, guys? I don’t think it does. The order directs the Treasury Department to strictly enforce termination of clean energy tax credits already included in the recently passed budget reconciliation bill.

the feeling on the street is this was done to placate some of the. Congress, people that wanted more action against wind and solar, mostly from petroleum, based states, and that they didn’t feel like they got enough in the legislation, so they wanted to reinforce it. I, don’t think this has any real effect, but in in the larger scheme, but the one area which can.

Be adjusted with or played with is the [00:07:00] timing of when projects have to go in and what the percentage of projects has to be done to qualify for the tax credits. And Phil, you want to provide some insights into what can happen with the qualification aspect.

Phil Totaro: Yeah, so let’s start with understanding what got approved in the bill.

Any project that starts construction after July 4th, 2026 will no longer be eligible for a production tax credit. Going back to Alan’s comment about this executive order, the intent. There is to direct the Treasury Department, which oversees obviously the IRS, which has a final say in what the qualification criteria are for getting the, Companies who wanna claim the production tax credit, you have to submit an application to be able to do that. they are being directed under this executive [00:08:00] order to reexamine whether or not there needs to be changes. That would be I. Basically considered anti renewable. So anything that can take, money off the table for wind and solar is, what they’re trying to accomplish with this.

And what they can do, that’s outside the scope of the bill is they can. Have, the threshold for what constitutes start of construction raised such that, let’s call it about 15.3 gigawatts out of the 30 gigawatts that’s already, into the, construction and permitting queue.

There’s about 15 gigawatts of that is at jeopardy if we can’t. if they raise these thresholds and if we can’t get started on construction with all that by, July 4th, 2026.

Joel Saxum: Phil, I got a question for you ’cause I wanna clarify this. We know that solar PV [00:09:00] onshore wind almost exclusively, and I think it is exclusively, will harvest PTCs over the lifetime instead of the 30% ITC credit for CapEx, however.

Offshore wind usually goes for ITC. And so I wanna clarify this also pertains to ITC as well. That’s, under, under the same rule set as the PTC. Yes. and ITC if you don’t know, is investment tax credits versus production tax credits. So you, that’s a onetime, wham. on, I think 30% of the CapEx of a project.

And that’s why you see it in offshore wind because it’s so dang expensive for offshore wind. But this, so the same set of rules is gonna hit both of those, right?

Phil Totaro: Yes. And, regardless of the executive order, Joel, the, it, the changes in the law that they just made in the tax and budget bill, they passed these changes in the law, actually potentially preclude.

The Mar Wind project in Maryland and the New England one and two [00:10:00] projects, in, Massachusetts, Connecticut, et cetera. that general vicinity where, multiple states are gonna be off taking power, those projects may not be able to get their construction finance in place and. Meet the start of construction threshold, by the time that they need to be able to, in order to claim the, tax credit.

So they could be, these projects are potentially in jeopardy now of not being able to claim that ITC, because of these, the change in the law passed by Congress and the con in combination with. The executive order that is likely to, increase the threshold for what constitutes startup construction on a project.

Joel Saxum: Could you see someone with a bold strategy saying, you know what, because PTCs may run out, we’re gonna take the 30% ITC bam right now on an onshore wind project. A big one. Could you see that?

Phil Totaro: Potentially, yes. Particularly if it’s [00:11:00] gonna, it’s the down to the number crunchers at that point. And if somebody says, you know what?

That makes a lot more sense than getting a reduction. look, we’ve, Intel store’s done this analysis. We released a research note about this. It’s gonna reduce, this. Change in the law is gonna reduce what? the revenue that asset owners for wind in the USA get by about $16 billion.

Now, keep in mind that ever since they started this production tax credit back in the early nineties, it’s paid out about $66.3 billion to date. And is $16 billion really saving us a whole lot, especially when you consider that we’ve got increasing demand, a five year backlog on gas. Nuclear that can’t be built.

And we talked last week about, the situation with, trying to sell people liquified natural gas. where exactly are we gonna get our electricity from? Because you’re all about to face brownouts in [00:12:00] about, a year and a half here. So if it’s not coming from wind and solar, I, don’t know where it’s coming from.

Allen Hall: The offshore projects on the east coast will have to be finished. They’ll just go back to the states and renegotiate the contracts for the offtake pricing.

Phil Totaro: If they can.

Allen Hall: I, think there’s always opportunity in tax law for things to get a little funky if you haven’t noticed that. the IRS can do all kinds of crazy things on its own, and obviously, things get tagged onto additional bills.

There’s all kinds of bills going through Congress and nobody knows exactly what’s going on at midnight when they pass. So it wouldn’t shock me if some of these projects get a little bit of coverage by the states and the senators in particular that backdoor it to protect them. Because otherwise what’s gonna happen is Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, maybe all the way down towards Virginia, New Jersey, are going to have to raise the prices to get those projects in.[00:13:00]

They’re still gonna happen. I, just don’t see them not happening. Back to your point, Phil, what are they gonna do for power? If they don’t have any other opportunities. Can I shift gears a little

Joel Saxum: bit here? The I’m, what I wanna understand now is, okay, bill, big beautiful Bill has passed, executive order, signed, enforcing it, whatever.

Today is July 9th that we’re recording. What does July 10th look like for the next two years? For all of our friends in the wind industry that are ISPs. That are specialists that are, technical field advisors for construction and crane companies and bolting companies and all this stuff. What does the next two years look like for them?

Because in my mind it means hammer down pedal to the metal. People are gonna be scrambling to get support to build their projects out. So everybody that’s in ISP is gonna be busy as hell for the next few years. At the same time, if I’m an operator, I’m thinking I’ve got a, an odd fiscal cliff. Coming and I need to [00:14:00] make sure that my turbines are running tip top shape while I’m still harvesting PTCs.

Before that date, because when that date comes, I gotta be o and m efficient. I gotta be spend efficient, these things have to be running well. I need to get ’em up to snuff, tear that apart. Does that make sense?

Phil Totaro: Oh, it, makes perfect sense. So right now what everybody, particularly anybody that built a project that.

They wouldn’t be able to repower prior to the end of this PTC cliff in 2027. What they’re looking to do is exactly what you just mentioned, Joel. They have to get operational efficiency improved and they have to hunt for the best possible PPA that they can get. now the good news is that. the market average right now for PPAs is about 55, just under $56 a megawatt hour, but if that drops, it’s gonna throw folks like that.

And they’re 65, or, I’m sorry, 62.115 [00:15:00] gigawatts worth of projects in that time period I mentioned 2019 to 2023 that are not gonna be able to do a PTC driven repowering. So they’re gonna have to improve. Performance they’re gonna have to life extend, and they’re gonna have to go find, a better, whether it’s a corporate offtake or something, a high PPA, that’s gonna help them sustain their profitability.

Allen Hall: The data I’ve seen more recently about what electricity prices are going to be in a year or two shows them up almost 10%, or sometimes more than 10%. So they’re gonna have to climb the, money’s gonna come from somewhere because. Back to Phil’s original point, if you don’t develop it, you’re gonna have problems with power supply.

you’re gonna have brownouts and restrictions and all the things you’ve been trying to avoid for the last 20 years, it’s going to come about. So I think the offtake companies and all the corporations involved in this that are pulling massive amounts of power off the grid are going [00:16:00] to have to encourage these projects to go forward.

They’re going to have to renegotiate PPAs. the, sites are gonna get built. I think there may be more opportunity for a little bit more money for wind and particularly solar just because. Gas isn’t gonna fill it, no one else is gonna fill it. The prices are gonna go up, and I think you could ask for a higher PPA price and get it because there’s nobody else that can provide the power.

Joel Saxum: I think we should benchmark this, right? Like a couple a month ago or so, the three of us, or more than that, we talked about what our, local power prices were and we’re in completely different markets. Alan, you’re on the east coast. Phil, you’re on the West coast. I’m down in Austin. In the Ercot market, I think the Ercot market will adjust quicker.

Simply because it’s, unregulated, right? It can, it’ll move. It’ll move. It’ll move now. So I think we should do that. let’s once a month collect that data again, just to see what it looks like over the next few years and check the trend. Because I think, like you said, [00:17:00] it’s gotta come from somewhere at the end of the day, who’s paying the bills, the consumer, And that’s the frustrating thing about, to me, just the frustrating thing about what’s going on with this bill is. Is the consumer’s gonna end up paying and a lot of times the consumers in these deep red states, that’s where wind is. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I don’t make all the decisions.

Allen Hall: just play it out in your head.

If GE is making the, gas turbines that are gonna provide electricity, just say GE is a focal point, probably is. Are they gonna increase production 50% over the next year, two years, five years, 10 years? They can’t do it. It’s impossible. It’s impossible. Exactly right. So although the current administration is going to downplay wind and solar.

It’s a physics problem. You can’t do it. This is not a Pol politics problem. This is a physics

Joel Saxum: problem.

Phil Totaro: But he, so here’s the good news though. Going, back to Joel’s point, if you work [00:18:00] at an ISP, if you own a company that owns cranes, you are gonna be in demand. full employment for everybody.

And here’s the other thing, a lot of these companies that have been overlooked as far as, kind of asset management, platforms and digital services, our friends over at Sky Specs, as, being one example. they are gonna be also very in demand because the companies, the asset owners that said, oh, I can get by without, digital solutions.

You’re not gonna be able to, when you need to be able to optimize your performance to hold out until 2029. Because if, your project starts dropping off precipitously, you don’t have a PTC that you can leverage to repower your project anymore. And who knows what actually happens in 2029. Hopefully we get something back in place that, like Alan mentioned, and Joel mentioned, a week or two [00:19:00] ago where oil and gas already have permanent subsidies.

we can argue about whether or not. subsidies for renewables are a good or a bad thing and all that, but wind energy alone in the United States is a $500 billion plus industry, and we’re talking about, again, $66 billion paid out over 30 plus years, and $16 billion in the immediate term to help support an industry that creates, more than half a trillion dollars worth of value.

In the United States jobs, tax, revenue, et cetera. let’s hope everybody gets the message and, starts playing it smart from here on out.

Allen Hall: As Wind energy professionals staying informed is crucial, and let’s face it difficult. That’s why the Uptime podcast recommends PES Wind Magazine. PES Wind offers a diverse range of in-depth articles and expert insights that dive into the most pressing issues facing our energy future.[00:20:00]

Whether you’re an industry veteran or new to wind, PES Wind has the high quality content you need. Don’t miss out. Visit PES wind.com today. In this quarter’s, PES Wind Magazine, which you can Google PES Wind and it’ll take you right there. You can download your own copy. There’s a really good article from Safe Lifting Europe, bv and some of their sustainable practices.

And if you’ve seen some of the work that they do, they provide. All the green colored equipment, the lifting equipment, and they’ve shifted from, a traditional ownership model where you buy the harness or the lifting piece to a rental service, which is a totally different model because most of the time that I’ve been around heavy lift, we ended up buying all the pieces, but renting this makes a lot more sense.

But there’s a lot to that when that happens. And it is, a. Truly a different approach to what has been a very, [00:21:00] wanna call a, very state industry where it hasn’t moved around too much. you lift things, you check, make sure the everything is the, same. But the, problem has been, is that.

It’s pay to play and it’s hard to get into that industry if you wanna buy the equipment. And so safe lifting Europe is, has a different model and it’s about time. Joel, I, know you’ve been around some heavy lift equipment yourself. This is, this, doesn’t happen very much. I have not seen hardly any of this in the United States ’cause these guys are based in the Netherlands.

Joel Saxum: So again, I, and I dial back to this offshore oil and gas. Offshore oil and gas is such a specialized industry with, when you’re lifting something, you may be using a piece that looks like you’re lifting something in a yard, but you’re actually using that in 3000 feet of water. so there’s all this specialized equipment all the time, and if you’re an operator or an IIRM consultant or whoever else that’s doing this work, it’s so cost prohibitive, capital [00:22:00]intensive to get into these things and it reduces the amount of players in the market.

That’s the trouble it, concentrates ’em, right? You get to these certain projects and Only Cype can take it on because they’re the only ones that can afford to buy the kit. What this does is it opens up the market to money. More people, right? Because then that offshore oil and gas world, this is a model they use all the time.

There’s companies dedicated to this expensive kit, like there’s a company called Unique Group that we used to use all the time, and they have water weights for testing and this, and the good thing about them, and it was electric, it was electronics and all kinds of stuff. When you got the kit, it was tested, calibrated, certified, ready to roll, beautiful in a crate.

You know what I mean? So it showed us like, Hey, we need this piece. And it showed up on site and it was ready to run, and it was all done by a third party. You pay the day rate on it. Once you’re done, you ship it back. Now, from a contract standpoint, that’s awesome because you just charge cost plus whatever percentage you put on it to your client.

It’s a pass through cost, you’ve dealt with it. Project gets done. That’s awesome. I think that’s, it opens up again, it [00:23:00] opens up the market. You can use mult, more vessels, more companies, good on them. And they’ve done a, this is a, this is something you and I really Alan, is this clever marketing.

Clever marketing, clever branding. There’s companies that do this well, and this is good, right? Because it’s rental kit that all looks the same. So no matter what vessel it’s on, you’re gonna see this, specific color of green right down here in Texas. Whenever I see a red, f two 50 go by, I go, oh, that’s Weatherford.

You know them, you know those guys right away, right? The Weatherford guys with the red jumpsuits and the red bumpers on the truck and stuff. you always see that. Or, like, in the offshore world, deme, blind green, Deme, you can see a deme vessel from miles away and you go, that’s that.

That’s them. That’s them. This will catch on. I like their, what they’ve done. Kudos to whoever thought of that as a branding initiative. I think this is only good things for the entire market, having a player like this that’s, specializing in that lifting kit.

Allen Hall: Yeah, great [00:24:00] article and you need to go check it out.

You can download this article at PS Wind. Just visit, your Google engine type in PS Wind. It’ll take you right there. Download it. There’s a ton of great articles in this quarter’s edition. and good on to safe Lifting Europe, bv. A lot of discussion about companies being, sold at the minute, and Joel and I have heard.

Quite a number of stories over the last probably month or so, but a ES corporation is, stock has gone up and down quite recently because the impression is, that they are for sale and they’re a Virginia based, renewable power company. And it sounds like they’ve had takeover interest from, investors, including Brookfield Asset Management, BlackRock of course, and Global Infrastructure Partners.

Now, a ES has a unique client base. They are really tied into the [00:25:00] data centers and ai centers, which from which are the big names, and Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, if you named the three. Those are the three. but it has more recently, as has seen their stock fall since about 2022. So it’s down quite a bit.

However, the future will look bright. This would be the perfect time to pick up a ES at probably a, what would be considered a reasonable price. But the dollar numbers, the market cap on a ES is pretty big at the moment. Joel? Yeah, I think what, what did, we see today? Like 40

Joel Saxum: billion. 40 billion. So there’s been a couple of big.

Acquisitions in the last year, right? There was the, GIP bought that company, New Mexico, can’t remember the name of it, that one. And then the Constellation bought Calpine for 16 billion. So that was another big one that just happened. of course we know BP is for sale. We should see an announcement on that at any [00:26:00] time.

We don’t know who or what that price is. but that’s gonna happen for bps, US onshore assets. So there is some big things moving and grooving. I could see, like I, I think off air I was talking BlackRock. GIP is a big one. Brookfield, I know Phil, you had some opinions on Brookfield, but, if a ES.

They’ve got some stuff in, in the states. They’ve got a lot of stuff in the Latin American countries, south America as well, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, they got some cool wind farms. If they’re doing some due diligence and you need someone to go, the uptime crew can go to Hawaii for the one you got out there, we’ll definitely take a peek at that for you or whoever the prospective buyer is.

but yeah, we, have friends over there. We know some of the engineers at a ES. of course, when these acquisitions happen, for the most part, it doesn’t change much. they just have a different t-shirt to wear and a different email signature. there’s some good people over there.

but yeah. Phil, what are your thoughts on who a prospective buyer for this a [00:27:00] ES thing could be?

Phil Totaro: Yeah, besides the two companies that have been named, you could have Masar also potentially kicking the tires if they wanted to expand their footprint. but I think Brookfield is probably the best fit.

besides some of the operational synergies that they already have with projects they’ve got, it fits Brookfield’s, as you mentioned, Joel, they’ve got assets in, Peru, Chile, and, I wanna say some transmission related assets as well in, in Brazil. that probably fit Brookfield’s portfolio a little bit better than anybody else, but I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility that.

somebody dives in and, tries to gobble them up because they’ve built a pretty good portfolio, and a healthy one as well. This

Joel Saxum: week’s Wind Farm of the week is the Wheat Ridge Hybrid Energy Project. Why this one popped up on the Wind Farm of the Week is looking [00:28:00] forward to what’s going on in politically in the states right now, thinking about operational efficiencies and how do we squeeze as much more out of a project as we can.

And the interesting thing about this is the first project in the United States that combines the three most common renewable energy kind assets. You have wind on site, you have solar on site, and you have battery storage on site. Now, the advantage to that, of course, is it’s pretty simple. it’s combines the BOP costs.

So you have the same transmission, lines. the same o and m crews and that kind of stuff all in one spot. So it makes more sense. You’re double dipping on these, capital costs from the beginning. so a little bit about the wind farm. It’s up in Oregon, marrow County, near Lexington.

It’s about 300 megawatts of wind. There’s a, there’s 120 GE turbines up there. Have 2.3 and 2.5 megawatt units. There’s also a 50 megawatt, solar [00:29:00]array. And there’s a 30 megawatt, 120 megawatt hour lithium ion battery storage system. So together there’s 350 megawatts of production plus that nice smoothing, side of the batteries with a little bit of, there’s about four hours with the storage there.

so you can power efficiently a hundred thousand homes off of this one project from one spot. it was jointly built by Portland General Electric and NextEra. So NextEra’s got their hands in a lot of stuff. They got their hands in this one. and it was the first of its kind. It’s a util utility scale facility with wind, solar, and storage all on one site.

and because of that, you’re, balancing, the storage or the storage balances that grid variability and delivers power even when, you know the sun, wind aren’t optimal. I personally would love to see a ton more projects like this. it, and it has a lot of those same numbers we see on a lot of the Wind Farm of the week, or, anything.

It, 300 jobs created, 10 [00:30:00] full-time staff, millions of dollars in tax benefits. so really cool project. And as we go into the next phase of the energy transition, would love to see more projects done like this, or even retrofitted like this would be pretty cool. so the Wheatridge Hybrid Energy Project up in Oregon,

Allen Hall: you’re the Wind Farm of the week.

And that’s gonna do it for the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. Thanks for joining us. Stay tuned. There’s a lot happening in wind. Don’t get discouraged. It’s all gonna be okay, and we’ll see you here next week on the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast.

https://weatherguardwind.com/ptc-legislation-aes/

Renewable Energy

Maximise Government Rebates for Commercial Solar in 2026

Published

18 hours ago

January 23, 2026

Alice Rush

If you live in Australia, you might have heard the rumours that commercial solar rebates are being phased out.

Just got thinking if your business has missed its chance to cash in on government support?

Hold on! Let’s set the record straight: the government rebates and incentives are still active, and in 2026, they’re more strategic than ever.

Australia remains a global leader in rooftop solar, but the rules of the game have evolved. It’s no longer just about covering your roof with solar panels and exporting cheap power to the grid.

In 2026, the smart move is pairing commercial solar with battery storage, demand management, and tax planning to maximise savings and control when and how your business uses energy.

From small cafes and warehouses to large manufacturing facilities and corporate headquarters, businesses of all sizes can still unlock substantial rebates, tax incentives, and funding opportunities.

The main goal is to understand how the current program works and how to stack them correctly before the rebates end.

Therefore, this guide breaks down how to maximise government rebates for commercial solar in 2026 in Australia, so you can slash power bills, boost energy independence, and make every incentive dollar count.

Let’s dive in!

In this blog post:

Understand the Federal Government’s Core Incentive Options

At the national level, Australia’s federal government continues to support commercial solar through several key programs. The rebate program includes:

Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES)

This is one of the most popular commercial solar rebates across Australia. Under the SRES, eligible solar systems that are up to 100 kW generate Small-scale Technology Certificates.

These certificates are tradable and provide upfront discounts when you install solar. Your installer usually handles the paperwork, and the value is passed as a discount during installation.

Why does this matter for business owners?

STCs can directly reduce your upfront costs by tens of thousands, making solar a much more affordable long-term investment. This might sound exciting to many. But act sooner rather than later.

Why?

Because the value of STCs gradually decreases as we approach the RET (Renewable Energy Target) end date in 2030.

So, planning a 2026 installation can secure more certificates at higher values.

Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs)

For bigger commercial solar systems above 100 kW, it’s a different story. These systems fall under the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target and generate LGCs based on the electricity they produce each year.

These certificates are sold in the market, generating ongoing revenue, not just an upfront discount.

Why are LGCs a great option?

Provide cash flow over many years.
Can often outweigh STC savings for larger systems.

If your roof can support a system over 100 kW, you can easily scale up to access LGCs and create an annual income stream rather than just an upfront rebate.

New Federal Battery Rebate

From mid-2025, the federal government introduced battery rebates under the SRES framework, which continue into 2026.

In this battery home program, systems paired with solar can receive rebates for each usable kWh of storage installed up to 50 kWh.

This helps to:

Reduces battery cost by approximately 30%.
Enhances the value of your solar by allowing you to use more of the energy you generate rather than exporting it at a discount.

Pair solar with batteries wherever profitable. Solar alone saves you money, but paired with batteries, your business becomes more resilient and less exposed to low grid pricing.

How Can You Stack State & Territory Rebates and Grants?

Federal incentives are powerful, but stacking them with state-level rebates and grants can multiply savings.

Here’s what’s active or expected to continue in 2026:

New South Wales (NSW)

NSW supports commercial solar and batteries with:

STC rebates on solar.
Reset Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) rebates for batteries. $1,600–$2,400 in addition to bonuses for VPP participation.

Here’s a pro tip! If you add a VPP-ready battery to existing or new solar installations, you can claim both state and federal rebates.

Victoria

Victoria continues its Solar for Business initiatives with:

Rebates for smaller commercial systems.
Interest-free loans and technical support.
Extra funding to encourage SME solar adoption.

You can pair your Victorian rebate with federal STCs and depreciation allowances for the best stack.

Queensland

Queensland has regional programs such as:

Energy audits for businesses.
Co-contribution grants.
Targeted agricultural support to reduce daytime energy costs.

Regional businesses often qualify for multiple small grants, so schedule an audit early in your planning to identify all available incentives.

Turn Australian Tax Deductions into Business Advantage: Here’s How!

Government support isn’t just limited to rebates; tax incentives can be just as valuable.

Instant Asset Write-Off & Temporary Full Expensing

Businesses installing solar can often write off the full cost of the system in the year it is installed, resulting in significant reductions in taxable income. This also:

Improves cash flow in the year of investment.
Can stack with rebates.

Before installing, consult your solar installer to ensure you’re claiming the maximum allowable deduction and that the structure aligns with your business’s tax year.

Standard Depreciation

Even if you don’t qualify for instant write-offs, solar is still a depreciating asset. You can claim deductions over its useful life, typically 20+ years, blending your return through ongoing tax savings.

Let’s Explore Strategic Funding & Innovative Financing Methods

You don’t have to own the system outright to enjoy the benefit:

Environmental Upgrade Agreements (EUAs)

There are councils, such as Environmental Upgrade Agreements (EUAs), that link loans to your property, allowing you to finance energy upgrades through your rates rather than traditional debt, often at better rates and longer terms.

In this method, solar starts saving money immediately, and a new cash-flow strategy makes solar accessible even without large upfront capital.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)

With a PPA, a third party installs and owns the solar system, and you buy the energy at a reduced rate for 7–15 years.

What are the benefits:

Zero upfront cost.
Consistent electricity pricing.
Reduced risk.

A PPA may not generate STCs for you, but it can reduce out-of-pocket costs and be more financially advantageous for smaller businesses or those with constrained budgets.

Plan Your Install with Timing & Market Awareness

If you plan to install solar on your commercial property, timing is very crucial. The reason is simple and straightforward.

The rebate values decline over time. The SRES scheme reduces the number of certificates annually as 2030 approaches.
The battery rebates also step down periodically.

Therefore, all you need to do is book an appointment early, obtain free quotes, sign contracts, and schedule installations early in the financial year to secure the highest possible rebate.

How To Qualify for Maximum Returns?

In Australia, if you want to qualify for federal incentives, you must follow these two rules:

Panels and inverters must be Clean Energy Council (CEC) approved.
Installer must be accredited (Solar Accreditation Australia or equivalent).

Be aware! Skipping an accredited installer or choosing low-quality equipment can disqualify you from getting rebates, so always verify credentials and approvals.

Financial Metrics That Matter: Cash Flow, ROI & Payback

Understanding your commercial solar project isn’t just about grabbing rebates; it’s about making them count. Here’s how to approach it:

Build a 10-Year Financial Model

Include:

Upfront costs before rebates
Rebate cash inflows (STCs, state grants, battery subsidies)
Tax deductions
Avoided electricity purchases
Revenue streams (LGCs for large systems)

Then calculate:

Payback period
Net Present Value (NPV)
Internal Rate of Return (IRR)

In most cases, businesses with high daytime usage see paybacks in 3–6 years, which is far better than traditional capital investments.

End Notes

Beyond rebates and tax savings, commercial solar boosts your business in ways that don’t show up on a spreadsheet instantly. It brings:

Brand credibility: Customers increasingly want sustainable partners.

Energy resilience: During peak grid pricing or outages, solar + battery keeps the lights on.

ESG leadership: If you report on environmental goals, solar is a visible, measurable contribution.

By 2026, Australia’s commercial solar incentives will still be robust, but navigating them takes strategy:

Do this first:

Understand federal incentives (STCs, LGCs, battery rebate)
Explore state rebates and stacking opportunities
Talk to your accountant about tax deductions
Get multiple quotes and install early in the year
Choose an accredited installer and products

And then:

Consider financing alternatives like EUAs or PPAs
Build a financial model before signing on the dotted line
Look beyond dollars to brand and operational resilience

Finally, the clean energy transition isn’t just an environmental choice; it’s a smart commercial move. With thoughtful planning and the right rebate stack, commercial solar in 2026 can be one of the most lucrative sustainability investments your business makes.

Ready to go solar?

Start with a trusted installer like Cyanergy, get a tailored quotation, and lock in every available rebate before they step down.

Your Solution Is Just a Click Away

The post Maximise Government Rebates for Commercial Solar in 2026 appeared first on Cyanergy.

https://cyanergy.com.au/blog/maximise-government-rebates-for-commercial-solar-in-2026/

Renewable Energy

Voters’ Priorities

Published

1 day ago

January 23, 2026

Alice Rush

For the ~55% of us who vehemently disapprove of Trump, it’s getting him out of office before he turns the United States into Russia or China.

Voters’ Priorities

Renewable Energy

CanREA Operators Summit Tackles Aging Fleets

Published

2 days ago

January 22, 2026

Alice Rush

Weather Guard Lightning Tech

CanREA Operators Summit Tackles Aging Fleets

Allen and Joel are joined by Mathieu Cōté from CanREA to preview the upcoming Operators Summit in Toronto. With many Canadian wind projects reaching 17-20 years old, the industry faces critical decisions about extending, repowering, or decommissioning assets. Register now!

Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!

Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining Light on Wind. Energy’s brightest innovators. This is the Progress Powering tomorrow.

Allen Hall: Matt, welcome to the program. Thanks for having me. Well, the theme of this Year’s Operator Summit is coming of age and. There’s a lot of things happening in the renewable side up in Canada. What does that mean for Canadian renewable energy operators right now?

Mathieu Cōté: Well, we came up with coming of age because, um, the fleet in Canada is in a bit of a different space than it is in the States where, uh, right now we’ve got a lot of projects that are on the cusp of coming to their end of initial lifetime.

Right. They’re in that. 17 to 20 year range. There’s some that are a little bit past, and so you, as an operator, you gotta be asking yourself, is this the time to extend this project? What do I have to do [00:01:00] if I need to extend? Um, or am I repowering, am I taking things down, putting them up? And I mean, there’s a lot of different variables there.

Sometimes it’s just a re topping, sometimes it’s everything down to ground level and go again. Or it’s, maybe it’s a decommissioning and those decisions are on the cusp of being made in the operation space in Canada. So that’s, that’s a super important part of it. But the other side of it, and the reason we liked, uh, coming of age is from the industry perspective itself.

We are no longer the new kid on the block, right? We are now a reliable, uh, professional industry that can deliver power when you need it. Uh, so that’s what we’re trying to, to convey with this coming of age. And, and we’ve got some really good speakers who are gonna talk about that, uh, from. The grid operator’s perspective saying, why is it that renewables are one of the first things they reach for now when they realize they need more power?

Joel Saxum: I think it’s an interesting space and I think to, to [00:02:00]comment more deeply on that, right? That you guys are in that, you

Mathieu Cōté: know,

Joel Saxum: 2005, six you started installing a

Mathieu Cōté: lot of the, a lot of wind assets. There was a curve of, as it as every year you get more and more. Trickle and then becomes a flood quite quickly.

Joel Saxum: Yeah. And, and, and you know, from, from the operation standpoint, we deal with some of the wind farms in Canada. We love working with, uh, the operators up there because they do exude that professionalism. They’re on top of their game. They know they’ve gotta maintain these things. Whereas in the states, we’ve been a little bit nascent sometimes and, oh, we got PTC coming so we don’t have to do these certain things.

Little bit more cowboy. Yeah. Yeah. And up in Canada, they’re, they’re, they’ve been doing the right things for a long time. Um, and I think it’s a good, good model to follow, but you’re a hundred percent correct. We’re coming to that time when it’s like decision time to be made here. And I think we, in our, in our uh, kind of off air chat, you had mentioned that, you know, repower in Canada is.

Pretty early stages. I

Mathieu Cōté: only know about

Joel Saxum: one,

Mathieu Cōté: to [00:03:00] be honest, and I try and keep track of these things,

Joel Saxum: but that’s coming down the pipeline,

Mathieu Cōté: right? So there’s gonna be more and more of these happening. And I mean, there are a lot of operators that have one foot on either side of the border, so some people have some operational experience on what steps you need to take, but it’s also from the regulatory side, like what is your grid operator gonna insist on?

So on and so on. But, uh, so we’ve got some panels to talk about things like, one of my favorites is, uh, how much life is left in your machine? And that’s sort of a deeper dive from an engineering standpoint. Like what math do the engineers do to assess, is this foundation good to go for another 10 years?

Is this tower gonna stand up to whatever? Should we replace the blades and all those components? We, we’ve got a foundation expert, uh, someone who does. Digital twin sort of things as well as, um, a panelist from, uh, Nordex, so the OEM sort of perspective as well, and how they assess how much [00:04:00] life is left in a machine.

So like that’s the sort of panels that we’re trying to put together that we’re pretty excited about.

Joel Saxum: Well, I think that’s a good one too, because I know Alan and I we’re talking around the industry globally. A lot of it is around CMS. And when we say CMS, we’re not just talking drive train anymore, we’re talking everything you can in the turbine, right?

So the, the concept of remaining useful life, r ul, that always comes up, where are we at with this, right? Because from a global perspective in Europe, they have, you know, in Spanish wind farms are all, a lot of ’em are at that 25 year mark. What are we doing here? So you guys are bringing that conversation to the Canadian market at this operator summit in Toronto here in February.

It’s, it’s timely, right? Because it’s February and everybody’s getting ready for spring, so you got a little bit of time to come to the conference.

Mathieu Cōté: Well, and that’s one of the things that we actually used to do is show in April and we’ve moved it back after hearing feedback from our, from our audience that April’s almost too late, right?

Like, if you’re doing your assessments for your [00:05:00] blades, it where? Where’s your manpower coming up? Coming from in the summertime? Those contracts are already signed. By the time you hit April, February, you’ve still got time. Your RFP might be out so you can meet all the proponents on site at once. It, it just makes a lot more sense for us to do it in February.

Allen Hall: Well, there’s a wide range of technology in Canada in regards to wind to energy. That adds to the complexity where a lot of turbines, unlike the United States, are maybe even sub one megawatt, and with new turbines coming online, they’re gonna be in the five, six, maybe even seven megawatt range. That’s a huge dispersed.

Industry to try to maintain massive range. Yeah. Right. And I, and, and I think one of the dilemmas about that is trying to find people who understand that tho all those different kinds of machines and the intricacies of each one of them and how to operate them more efficiently, which is where Canada is.

Quite honestly. The, the thing [00:06:00] about that and the challenge for Canada Head, and this is why the conference is so important, is. If there’s someone in Canada that has the answer, as Joel and I have talked to a number of Canadian operators, you may not know them. I know it’s a smaller marketplace in general, but unless you’re talking to one another, you probably, uh, don’t realize there’s, there’s help within Canada.

And these conferences really highlight that quite a bit. Wanna talk about some of the, sort of the interactions you guys create at the conference?

Mathieu Cōté: Yeah. Oh, well, it’s one of the things that can RIA tries to do is play that connector role, right? Like, we don’t know everything, but like you say, we know someone who knows something and we can put you in touch with all.

I know a guy who knows a guy. Um, but we’re, we’re always able to, to, to connect those dots. And I mean, we, we do a lot of, uh. Things like working groups and uh, regional meetings. And, uh, we’ve even got, uh, different summits for different things. Getting a little bit outside of operations, but like we [00:07:00] have an Atlantic operators group that gathers together and has a chat just sometimes, usually there’s a focus topic, but then we have, oh, how do you guys deal with the storm that came through?

Or that sort of thing, or what, what do you do for if you need a new blade or has anyone got a good vendor for this thing or that thing? Those sorts of things always happen in the margins. And I mean, the ops summit is the, the best one of those because it’s the entire Canadian industry that gets together.

We’ve got folks from bc, we’ve got folks from Atlantic Canada, there’s gonna be people from Quebec, and there’s vendors from all those places as well. Right? So. It’s covering all your bases and it’s the one place that you can talk to everybody and meet everybody in like a 48 hour period.

Joel Saxum: Well, I think that if, you know, just doing a little bit of deep dive into the agenda and the program here, that’s one of the things that you guys are focusing on.

Targeted networking. So morning breakfasts, evening receptions, there, you know, structured and informal, uh, opportunities to actually connect with the o and m [00:08:00] community. Um, one of them that you had mentioned was kind of, um. Hands-on demonstrations and, and for me, when, when I see these things, ’cause I’ve seen them kind of slightly not, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody do it perfectly well.

I’m excited to see what you guys do. But you get, you get a group of people standing around, like you get people kind of standing around. Rubbing elbows going, like, what do you think about that? What is, does this, is this gonna work? And, and those to me are great, great conversations for networking and kind of figuring things out together.

The collaboration part.

Mathieu Cōté: Absolutely. Uh, well on those two points, the, the networking has always been a huge part of this show, and we’ve always built into the program. Okay. There’s some stuff on stage, but then there’s a break. And I mean, you can wander around the showroom floor and you can, but you can talk to the other people.

And, uh, that’s a big part of this. That’s an important part of this. And then on the, the demonstrations and so on, we used to have what we called, uh, elevator pitches, uh, where, and we’ve done it various different ways where people get five minutes, one slide, you’re on [00:09:00] stage, you say your piece, you give us your elevator pitch, and then you get off and someone else gets up and talks.

And we found that, that, and the feedback we got was that that was good because that condensed all of the salesy parts and kept it away from the panels. ’cause the panels, we want them to be informative, not. Selling you something. We want you to learn something. But the sales pitch is, there is some sense of like someone’s trying to sell you a thing.

But we’re evolving that a little bit this year where we’re going towards demonstrations. So on the showroom floor, there will be someone who will have a tangible thing, whether it’s here’s the new fireproof coat that we’ve come up with, or here’s how this, uh, sling works, or here’s this piece of kit that fits on your machine that catches bolts when they break, or whatever it is.

Here’s how it actually works, and they’ve got it in their hands and they can play with the go until it, uh, really, like you say, gets that light bulb moment that gets you to see how it works. And you can see that ROI [00:10:00] right away going, oh, okay. That if it catches the bolts when they break, then it doesn’t rattle around.

And then I’ve gotta spend X amount less time fixing, missed out. Or the other thing, like it’s, it, it’s a, it’s a better way of doing it is, uh, what we feel. And like you say, then you get. Being on the showroom floor, it’s in amongst the booths. So people who are on the showroom floor can just sort of look over their shoulder, see that, okay, I really gotta go check out that guy.

Joel Saxum: I like the idea of the format and there’s a couple other things like lessons learned track we talked about a little bit too. But one of the things for me for trade shows is when Alan and I went to ETC in Calgary a few years ago, two years ago I think. Yep. You actually had the. The conversations, the panel conversations, the discussions, the knowledge sharing happening on the showroom floor.

I don’t like going to a conference where I have to go in, like I’m talking with some people, but, oh, I gotta run across this thing across over here, a mile away into some back room to listen to someone talk about something. I like, I like being where the information is [00:11:00] happening and sharing, and I can stand off to the side and listen a bit and, and still engage.

Um, and you guys are doing some more of that too through the lessons learned track. Um, can you explain that a little bit to us?

Mathieu Cōté: Well, we’ve always had, uh, like a, some split in concurrent sessions and so on. But to your point of not running off to the other end, we’re in a pretty intimate space where we’ve got like a room for lunch and the plenaries, we’ve got a room for the exhibit hall, and then right next to it is any of the, uh, off to the side stuff.

It’s all within a one minute walk of, of itself, which is much better. So we’ve got the concurrent, uh, sessions and. This year we split them instead of into two. We split ’em into three though that then we’ve got one for specific to wind. We’ve got one specific to solar and storage. ’cause we are renewable energy, not just wind.

And then we’ve got one, uh, that’s a bit of a grab bag and it’s a bit of a different format. So instead of your traditional three [00:12:00] panelists plus a moderator, everyone’s got a slide, everyone’s gotta talk, blah, blah, blah. This thing, it, it’s much more focused. You’ve got one person who’s got a real important thing to say, whether it’s, here’s, uh, lessons learned on how our hub fell off and here’s what we learned from it.

Here’s our root cause analysis, or here’s, uh, a much better way of doing, uh, our health and safety program has worked much better for us. Here’s what we gain from it, or whatever happens to be. And then one moderator to ask them some questions, pick apart. So this part, how to, uh, and get a bit of a, a flow there.

So, and it’s much shorter. Instead of an hour long, it’s only a half hour. So then you don’t have to sit through two people. You don’t care about to listen to the one person that you do is the intent of these, uh, lessons learned? I,

Joel Saxum: I do really like the concept simply because when I go to an event or like, um, putting something together, I want people to be able to go.

Learn something, take it back to their respective [00:13:00] organization, be able to implement it tomorrow. And it sounds like you guys are really moving towards that with the lessons learned, the collaboration and the knowledge sharing.

Mathieu Cōté: That’s, that’s the intent. And that, and that’s really what it is, is I, I’m, I think I’m a smart guy, but I don’t have all the answers.

So we’re really trying to shine a light on the people who do, and like, here’s a thing that the industry as a whole should learn about. And give them some time to talk about it. And like you say, then you’ll get some of those conversations in the margins and in in between going, yeah, this guy had this thing to say.

We get that sort of dialogue going. That’s, that’s the intent. It’s all about, uh, discussions and learning from each other.

Joel Saxum: To me, it sounds like even, um, for lack of a, maybe a trip to get some poutine and maybe an American, American should go out there and listen to some of the stuff you guys have to say as well.

Mathieu Cōté: Honestly, it’s, it’s worth it for, uh, Americans to come by and we do have a significant number, proportion of the, the audience comes from the states as well. Because like you say, it’s, it’s worth it and it’s good information and it’s a good [00:14:00] portion of the thing. And it’s really not that far. And I mean, um, not to put it lightly, we do tend to lean a little heavier on some of the more, uh, Canadian elements like weather.

Like we do have a panel this year, um, on the solar side, solar operations and adverse conditions. And that one, um. Because that one came from, uh, I know a guy at, uh, natural Resources Canada, who was part of a working group at the International Energy Agency in their photovoltaic power systems group, where they came up with, uh, a report on operations in all kinds of adverse conditions around the world.

So he’s gonna present that report and we’ll have a panel discussion. The other panelists there, we’ve got, um. Ben Power, the CEO of ves, who is the number one installer of solar in the Yukon, right next to Alaska. So they know a lot about adverse conditions and then, uh, polar racking, they’ve got a lot of experience, uh, with that sort of thing too.

And they’ve got some data that they’re gonna bring to the [00:15:00] panel as well. So it should be a really good discussion about how do we deal with bad things happening in solar specifically.

Allen Hall: Well, sure. Uh, Canada’s been running assets a lot longer than we have been in the States. In fact, to Joel’s earlier point, we’re repairing.

Disassembling putting new stuff up all the time. Canada has been more focused on keeping existing equipment running in some crazy, harsh conditions. The US is moving that way. You wanna know about ice? We could tell you about ice. Exactly. Like how many times has the US run into trouble with icing on wind turbines and we should have been talking to, or her neighbors through the north, but in a lot of cases, yeah.

The I, I find that the time I went. I learned a whole bunch about Canadian operations, how to think about some of these problems differently. That was the beauty of a attending a Kria event, and I know there’s gonna be a lot of people attending this event. Who is it for in general? Obviously [00:16:00] it’s for operators, but is there some value here for like asset managers?

Some of the engineers, some of the service providers,

Mathieu Cōté: yeah. That our, our core market, if you want, is your site managers and your technical people, but engineers, 100%, they will learn something. Your asset managers will definitely have some value in it, whether it’s learning about the technology or learning about, uh, the, the latest things coming out or even just.

Best practices from other folks, right? We’ve also got, uh, more and more we’re getting people from the insurance industry getting involved because some of these, uh, lessons learned and so on, is really valuable to them. And we’re even running, um, if, if people are in insurance, we have a special meeting for insurance.

The, the day before where we’ll be having a, a dialogue between the insurance industry and the operators and like, here’s how we deal with this. This is why the prices are that. And, uh, talk about that risk transfer type stuff. There are the odd developer who comes out. Um, but it’s more for the, [00:17:00] like, once it’s in the ground, the technical people, uh, the tooling manufacturers, the service providers, the, all, all of those folks.

Joel Saxum: What about ISPs? Oh, a hundred percent. We know quite a few ISPs up in Canada. Every one of them that I’ve talked to is coming. So ev I’ve had the conversations and like I, you know, we’re, we’re doing some other things in February as well around here, and I was, Hey, what are you guys? Oh, we’re all going to the Candry Ops summit.

We’re going to the Candry Ops summit, so to Toronto and February. Um, bring your warm jacket. I suppose it could be cold. Yeah, the, the ISPs will be there in, in full force. And so I think that. To me, it’s like the, the, the cousin to the A-C-P-O-M-S. We like OMS in the states because that’s where the real discussions happen around operations and maintenance.

Mathieu Cōté: The technical stuff happens. Yeah. And it, I like to say it’s the, the, the younger cousin, if you will, and the maple syrup cousin.

Allen Hall: Well, I do think though, that when we’re at, uh, o, M and S Joel, that [00:18:00] those discussions are a little bit different than what I see up at Kria. Like Kria is a. Community OMS is, yeah, we, we all know one another and maybe it’s just there’s this, a bigger event or more people, but it, I don’t feel the sort of connection I do when I’m at Kria.

Like I know the people, I understand what’s going on at Kria. That’s what makes it fun that I get to see people that I, I know once in a while, but at the same time there is a huge, massive amount of. Sharing

Mathieu Cōté: that community that you speak to, that that’s really what we’re trying to, to gather in. And there’s a difference of scale too.

I mean, uh, the OMS is like 3000 people and we’re three to 400. So there, there’s a difference there. But that sort of intimacy leads to a fair bit more of that sharing that you’re talking about and like that Oh yeah, there’s that guy. Oh, there’s Derek from Capstone, or there’s Dan from EDF or there, you know, and then you.

You run into them and then you, you catch [00:19:00] up on all the latest and, um, what’s going on, how are things going? And so on and so on. And there’s time for all of that in the, in the two day show that we have.

Joel Saxum: Well, I think collaboration in a smaller, like the right size group is, is much easier and flows better.

Right? Once you get to that thousand two, three, 4,000, it’s like, yeah, you’re there, you’re seeing the people, but like it’s just not the same.

Mathieu Cōté: Et c is somewhere around 3000 people and it, it, it’s got that heft. It’s a different audience as well. Right? The o and m crowd isn’t there as much. It’s not quite as technical, so it it, it’s a speaking to a different group of people.

Allen Hall: Well, Canada is on a growth spurt for renewables. There’s a lot of wind energy

Mathieu Cōté: headed up towards Quebec. There are procurement’s open right now in Quebec, Nova Scotia, new Brunswick. Uh, Ontario, BC and Manitoba

Joel Saxum: Plus, what was it? Fi what was it? Five offshore lease areas off of Nova Scotia.

Mathieu Cōté: Yeah, they’re looking at up to five gigawatts offshore in Nova Scotia.

We don’t have [00:20:00] any yet in Nova in, uh, offshore. And there’s some, they need to figure out what the offtake is and where the transmission goes. Uh, but there’s a lot of people working in the background on MA putting that together. So it’s growing. Oh, a hundred percent. It’s growing and across the board, right.

And the. Wind or solar or storage or all three. And that, that a lot of the, the procurements these days are starting to move in a direction of, uh, sort of a technology agnostic where they say, we need megawatts. We don’t care how you make them. We just want electricity. Well, electricity, uh, but also electricity capacity.

So in the one case we figure wind and solar will do quite well, and in the other we’ll figure the battery storage will do quite well. So no matter what and in the timelines that they’re asking for, we’re looking at if you want it in the next five years, it’s probably gonna be wind and solar because anything else is gonna be a seven plus year timeline to get into the ground.

So [00:21:00] there, there’s a lot. There’s a lot coming.

Allen Hall: Well, up to 20% of the energy, electricity in Canada nationally is gonna be generated by renewables in less than 10 years.

Mathieu Cōté: Canada’s split up a lot, remember like, and Quebec is already at 90 plus with their hydro and bc same thing.

Joel Saxum: And I, and I think that that’s something to be, to be shared as well here is from an o and m standpoint.

The, the varied geographies of Canada and how spread apart it is, there’s specialized knowledge up there to, to, to, you know, till the cow come home. So it’s a great place to go and learn. I would encourage people, hey, if you’re, if you’re in anywhere around Michigan, the Great Lakes Toronto’s a three hour drive.

Go there, do the conference and learn something,

Mathieu Cōté: and hey, we’re right next to the airport. It’s quick flight. Almost anywhere from North America, right? So Toronto’s easy to get in and

Allen Hall: out of, and this is gonna be a great event. The Can Operators Summit. It’s February 11th and 12th at the Delta Hotel by [00:22:00] Marriott, Toronto, right at the airport.

So you, you can’t miss it. It’s easy to get in, easy to get out. You’re gonna have a great time. Matt, how do they connect and register for this event?

Mathieu Cōté: We have a registration link that I’m sure we’ll put somewhere. Um, or come to our website, kenia.ca?

Allen Hall: Yeah, just Google Can Operator Summit. That’s what I did.

And that takes you right to the registration. Get signed up there. It’s inexpensive in Toronto is a really cool city. February 11th and 12th. At the Delta Hotels by Marriott, right at the airport. The Canary Operator Summer is going to be a lot of fun. Matt, thank you so much for being on the podcast.

Really enjoyed having you. Well, thanks for having [00:23:00] me.